Helen & Harry's cranky weblog of news and opinion.
|
"News that's not known, or not known enough." Helen & Harry's cranky weblog of news and opinion. |
|
|
| 
|
|
Sunday, July 17, 2011 ♦ So I'm sitting in a doctor's waiting room, and who should be staring back at me from the cover of a recent Newsweek but former President Bill Clinton, offering his advice on how to restore American jobs. This from the Democrat who gave us the North American Free Trade Agreement, allowing outsourcing to grow by leaps and bounds. Bill Clinton's NAFTA is responsible a big chunk of the unemployment rate to this day, and will continue to be a giant contributor to unemployment for as long as NAFTA exists. So, Mr Ex-President, take your advice and shove it. Maybe in the next Newsweek, Michael Vick can write an article explaining how to prevent animal cruelty. ♦ Bill Clinton was, of course, a backstabber to the Democrats' alleged ideals, but Barack Obama is right up there when it comes to backstabbing. He's given away huge tax cuts to billionaires, kept America at war, stood in the way of gay rights, the list goes on and on, and now he's offering cuts to Medicare and Social Security. But Democrats will support Obama's re-election, a reminder (again) that I'm not a Democrat. ♦ Paul Krugman explains it: "President Obama has made it clear that he’s willing to sign on to a deficit-reduction deal that consists overwhelmingly of spending cuts, and includes draconian cuts in key social programs, up to and including a rise in the age of Medicare eligibility. These are extraordinary concessions. As The Times’s Nate Silver points out, the president has offered deals that are far to the right of what the average American voter prefers — in fact, if anything, they’re a bit to the right of what the average Republican voter prefers!" Yup, and well said. A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for an agenda that's "a bit to the right of what the average Republican voter prefers." ♦ And of course, President Obama will appoint some random dweeb, instead of Elizabeth Warren, to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. ♦ Republican claims of a looming "light bulb ban" are bat crazy bullsh*t. How un-surprising. More news and daily updates at 
Sunday, July 17, 2011 Illinois sheriff's deputy charged with child endangerment is suspended with pay Florida police officer is arrested in underage sex ring sting Florida "Officer of the Year" suspected of drug dealing TSA worker arrested after allegedly stealing iPad and stuffing it down his pants A growing number of Los Angeles police officers who have used excessive force, driven while intoxicated, falsely imprisoned people or committed other serious misconduct are being let off without punishment as part of a new, controversial approach to discipline at the LAPD Ex-Missouri police officer is charged in cold-case homicides Virginia cops charged in murders, and stealing more than $43K from an 85-year-old woman Minnesota sheriff's deputy charged with illegally revealing private information about a former jail inmate DC police officer charged with sexually abusing three women while armed and on duty Tennessee sheriff deputy fired, charged with improper euthanasia Massachusetts correctional officer held on charges of stabbing husband Georgia deputy jailer charged with hit and run accident Louisiana sheriff's deputy arrested and booked with indecent behavior with a juvenile Former Capitol Police deputy chief is arrested following an altercation Illinois police officer charged with striking another cop Pennsylvania police officer is arrested in casino brawl Illinois cops found liable for arresting black meter reader who was working in white neighborhood Louisiana police officer is charged in early morning fight Florida prison guard arrested for drug conspiracy New York public safety officer charged with manslaughter, DWI 12-year prison term for Alabama police officer who resigned after 120mph fatal drunk driving wreck Probation officer accused of taking money from probationers Former Pentagon police officer is sentenced for child sex offense Missouri cop is in trouble for releasing arrested person in exchange for sexual favors
Sunday, July 17, 2011 Mystery links are offered with no implied endorsement of whatever's at the other end. You may be shocked or disgusted, but we don't care. Links in red are not safe for work, and links in pink include audio and/or video. Thursday, July 7, 2011 ♦ President Obama says he'll be happy to cut Medicare and Medicaid, because of course. Just because. Just, of course. ♦ I am so weary of Barack Obama, who's made himself the finest Republican President since Bill Clinton. He'll always compromise, no matter how crazy the Republicans' position, and he'll never take a firm stand on any principle — the very definition of unprincipled. "Could be worse" is the best I can say about Obama, but as the American economy and American ideals swirl down the drain, "could be worse" isn't anywhere near good enough. The American future is bleak, my friend, bleak in the short-term and bleaker in the long-term because of the problems Obama's ignoring and increasing. Bleak. Obama is the face of the Democratic Party, because like Obama, most Democrats don't even try. When I'm doing something, I try to do it well, and I don't have any respect — or any votes — for people who don't even try. It would be nice to see a non-Republican President in my lifetime, but I don't see any likelihood of that. I'll probably vote in 2012 — old habits die hard — but I'll vote Green where that's possible and leave a lot of other ballot choices blank. ♦ Should we respect this guy, who gave his life for what he believed, or should we just snicker? A motorcyclist, participating in a protest against helmet laws by driving without a helmet, died after he flipped over the bike's handlebars and hit his head on the pavement. ♦ The American captain of a ship bound for Gaza is being held in "shocking conditions," by Greek authorities, we're told. Shocking conditions? Really? Well, if that troubles you now, where've you been for the past decade as torture became the American way? By America's new bipartisan Bush-Obama standards, this American can be tortured, even tortured to death, with no need for any worries. Geneva, schmeneva. After watching American officials get away with torture, after enshrining what's inarguably torture as American policy, Americans don't really have any standing to be "shocked" any more, at the conditions under which anyone's held by authorities anywhere. ♦ An un-paid but enthusiastic plug: Sam Seder does a daily podcast that's brisk, informative, entertaining, and hands down the most worthwhile listening I've found. Subscribers get some perks and make the program possible, but the podcast itself is free for the listening — and if you're not listening you're not as well informed as you ought to be. More news and daily updates at
Thursday, July 7, 2011 Florida correctional officer arrested in drug sting Vermont deputy accused of assault is now facing more charges for allegedly calling his accuser and threatening her Fired Florida deputy gets 27 months in fraud case Ohio police Tase and pepper spray mentally handicapped teen after mistaking speech impediment for "disrespect" Nebraska cop charged with assault at 'Nebraska City Rampage' Bail review set for California ex-detective in off-duty death Texas police officer fired, charged with stealing driver's gun Former Idaho deputy bound over on 1st degree murder charge Chicago cop is accused in $50,000 swindle of dad's estate Former Missouri deputy in court on burglary, theft charges Georgia detention officer sentenced to 5 years for fatal shooting Fired New Jersey police officer charged with giving false info while seeking job Car crash victim dies after being Tased by Florida police Mississippi deputy jailer charged with sexual assault Florida deputy arrested, relieved of duty in excessive force case Fired Oregon sheriff's deputy arrested for rape Tennessee deputy jailer arrested for rape Indiana deputy arrested for domestic violence Un-named Florida deputy arrested, under investigation Fired Arizona police officer arrested for alleged sex offenses involving children Alabama corrections officer arrested on charges of sexual conduct with an inmate Charges filed against Florida officer accused of targeting and robbing Hispanics Florida cop guilty of molesting daughter Tennessee police officer arrested after producing gun during domestic dispute Texas police officer charged for trying to kiss woman at traffic stop Iowa police officer arrested for domestic assault Georgia sheriff says to expect more cops to be arrested as federal investigation into corruption continues Maryland police officer admits participating in smuggling of untaxed cigarettes and alcohol in corruption case Massachusetts jail officer convicted of drug smuggling Mississippi family says deputies had wrong house when they interrupted party, used Tasers
Thursday, July 7, 2011 ♦♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Mystery links are offered with no implied endorsement of whatever's at the other end. You may be shocked or disgusted, but we don't care. Links in red are not safe for work, and links in pink include audio and/or video.
For in-depth news updates, we recommend Media Matters, ThinkProgress, and Washington Monthly. A tip o' the hat to A.K. for CSS help, Daniel D., the letter Z, The Agitator, Bad Attitudes, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog, JR Mooneyham, Newshoggers, Pharyngula, Photography is Not a Crime, Progressive Review, and Right Wing Watch. Our website is prepared on a refurbished PC bought cheap and occasionally repaired by the good guys at Madison's Computer Store West. Typed and edited using Google Docs. Chairs from Goodwill, chips from Hy-Vee. Site hosted at the censor-free and reliably on-line pair.com, with an emeritus hat-tip to our first web-home at pitas.com, a dang fine place for new bloggers to start. With no thanks at all to a few faux progressive sites that probably do more harm than good, including the ethically empty Huffington Post and the ceaselessly snarky Wonkette; with a full-frontal fart in the face to Francis Boyle, makethemaccountable.com, RadicalViews.org, free-lance reporter Sherwood Ross, TomDispatch.com, and anyone else who's added us to their email list without even asking (the answer would've been no); and with an enthusiastically flipped finger to the closeted Republican mouthpiece Politico. The blog's homepage is unknownnews.org, and we welcome your comments at unknownnews@inbox.com. Our Twitter trail is twitter.com/unknownnews.
|
